DATES Due to limitations in the genealogy software used by the authors Mike Darch and David Yaw, most English and Welsh baptism dates before 1837 have been entered as birth dates, and burial dates as death dates. It is important that readers appreciate this distinction, even though the practical difference is minimal. See Dates in genealogy for further information.
REGISTRATION DISTRICTS (ENGLAND AND WALES, FROM 1837) The authors use wording such as ‘died in Newton Abbot 1947 q4’ – in this case to indicate that the death was registered in the Newton Abbot registration district in the year and quarter stated. Readers should be aware that the death will not necessarily have taken place in the town of Newton Abbot but perhaps elsewhere in the district, which included other towns and villages – also that over time districts have been re-named and places moved from one district to another (see also Realignment of the border between Cornwall and Devon). Similar comments apply to birth and marriage registrations.
WILL TRANSCRIPTIONS Transcriptions of Devon wills and administrations by Oswyn Murray or Olive Moger are generally from previous researchers’ copies of them. These copies were not necessarily accurate, and some were summarised. Corrected, full versions will be available on this site in due course, as part of the revised set of transcriptions described in the note in italics on the Wills page. The authors have included transcriptions of wills of other relevant people, including widows and their families – these are their own transcriptions, mainly made from records held at the National Archives.
INDEXES To complement the index at the end of each PDF file, a detailed set of entries is included in the online Index.
CONTACT DETAILS The authors will be pleased to hear by email from anyone interested in these branches. Details and transcripts of some unpublished marriage settlements, wills, deeds of property transactions, court cases and other records may be available. Please do not use the Contact Us page on this web site to get in touch with them – instead use the email addresses shown clearly in the PDF files linked from the pages in this section.
LIVING PEOPLE The PDF files exclude birth and marriage dates of people who might still be living. For researchers who can demonstrate a direct family connection, David and Mike might be able to provide further information – please contact them by email as above.
COPYRIGHT The authors’ research represents a comprehensive update of their earlier work. It contains significant new material, much of it not previously in the public domain. The files are subject to copyright as indicated.
VIEWING FILES Users of some operating systems might need Adobe Acrobat to view the PDF files; those that show charts should be viewed at a high magnification.